IN TRANSIT; Michelin Guides to Rate More American Cities

By JENNIFER CONLIN

Published: April 15, 2007

First there was New York, then San Francisco. Now Los Angeles and Las Vegas will get the Michelin treatment.

In November, the famed -- and often controversial -- Michelin Guides will expand to cover two more cities in the United States, awarding (and denying) stars based on reports from Michelin's team of anonymous inspectors.

When Michelin published its first New York guide in late 2005, it was the first time the company had rated restaurants outside Europe, and it immediately caused a stir, giving most of its three-star ratings to French establishments, and denying even one star to several of the city's most highly regarded restaurants, like Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe.